Dahlia Darkarin

Dahlia Darkarin is an unbeatable plant, which will turn heads.  It forms a magnificent bouquet of double flowers, of modest size, but remarkably coloured: their petals, a very dark, intense and bright red, are sublimated by a lighter border, creating a gradient of colours that gives the flower a masterful relief. This flowering blooms generously from summer to the first frost, on a surprisingly dark vegetation, of a bronze to chocolate colour, in perfect harmony with the very rich colour of the flowers. A wonderful variety in massifs as well as in vase, which will only seduce the most blasé gardeners!

Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family, they are originally from the Mexican high plateaus and have organized inflorescences in capitules, which we commonly call 'flowers'. At present, the some 25,000 horticultural varieties obtained by man have arrived in gardens all over the world.
Dahlia 'Darkarin' has dark foliage classified both in the category of decorative Dahlias and in that of landscape Dahlias. The flowering plant will reach approximately 80 cm (32in) in height and 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) in width. The 'Darkarin' flowers, double, are about 8-10 cm (3-4in) in diameter. The ligules, or external 'petals', display a superb gradient of colours ranging from burgundy red to wine lees, at the base towards tyrian pink at the edge, or even almost to white-pink on certain capitules. The tiny flowers in the centre form a bronze to dark brown disc. The flowering is renewed from July to October. The habit is bushy and erect. The very branched stems are hollow and the leaves are opposite, pinnately divided into 3 or 5 very toothed lobes. The leaves and stems are of a very original colour, bronze, purple, chocolate, almost black, which truly enhances the colour of the capitules.

To promote floral rebloom, take care to cut the faded flowers, or even better, regularly make large colourful bouquets by associating them with other varieties. 'Darkarin' blends particularly well with the grey foliage of wormwoods (Armoise Powis Castle, Artemisia absinthium Lambrook Silver) or the dark needles of certain small conifers (Chamaecyparis obtusa Chirimen, Chamaecyparis obtusa Juniperoides). In planting beds, this extraordinary Dahlia will form colourful and bright spots in the company of Echinaceas, for example, which flower at the same time, as well as light blue or mauve Asters (Aster cordifolius, Aster turbinellus, Aster novi-belgii Marie Ballard...). Its flowers are of course magnificent in bouquets.

As a star plant of borders and kitchen gardens, Dahlias confidently accompany the most beautiful flowers but are also appreciated alongside vegetable plants. In Mexico, this tuberous plant was first cultivated as a root vegetable for consumption. Its mediocre taste qualities assigned it the rank of an ornamental plant. Since then, the interest for their beautiful exuberance has never waned.